ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge has denied a request by state and federal officials to keep a migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades operating while they appeal an order to shut the facility down.
Judge Kathleen Williams ruled the facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” must continue winding down, saying the government is unlikely to win on appeal and that it failed to conduct required environmental reviews.
The facility has been the focus of lawsuits from environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who say it threatens wetlands and tribal lands.
Williams said claims that shutting it down would cost millions were “speculative” and noted detainee numbers were already dropping. ICE has also indicated it now only needs short-term holding facilities.
The government “offered little to no evidence why this detention camp, in this particular location, is uniquely suited and critical,” Williams said.
The government could ask a higher-level court to step in and block Williams’ order.
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